Wrong way driving (WWD) is a hazardous result of driver error/behavior, especially if it occurs on high speed roadways such as limited access facilities (including turnpikes or expressways). WWD may result in head-on collisions on the mainlines of limited access facilities. These collisions often cause severe injuries and even fatalities. The contributing causes for WWD driver error can vary and include driver intoxication and confusion, for example. Typically, these crash occurrences are documented and recorded by law enforcement officers and are available to engineering staff to later evaluate for safety analysis.
There are also many WWD incidents that do not result in a crash. Some of these wrong way drivers are stopped by law enforcement and issued a pertinent citation, but in some cases, the drivers are not intercepted. Other roadway users may report WWD events to emergency response personnel, such as a 911 computer aided dispatch (CAD) call center. In other cases, there might be no report of the WWD event and the WWD drivers might correct their direction of travel on their own or exit the limited access facility in the wrong direction.
When WWD crashes occur on limited access facilities, these events usually make news headlines and strike fear into those who use these high-speed roadways. A right way driver on the mainline can take little action to avoid a WWD vehicle, since the approach rates of both vehicles combine for an excessive rate of speed (e.g., 65 mph 65 mph=130 mph).
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), only about 3% of crashes that occur on high-speed divided highways are caused by WWD (NTSB, 2012). Although WWD crashes are rare, the consequences can be severe. Therefore, it is important to try to reduce the occurrence of these crashes as much as possible.